Inhale

Try to remember what you were doing before you had to remind yourself to breathe

Try to remember why you had to remind yourself to breathe

Remind yourself to breathe again

Tell yourself that the reason you breathe is to replace the carbon dioxide in your blood with fresh oxygen, allowing for your heart to pump it through your body

Remember that time you felt your breathing slow when it was a good idea to replace fresh oxygen with her carbon dioxide

Realize that the Prefix Di- in Dioxide means two

Begin cracking your first smile in days because you think that a broken heart may consider pumping carbon monoxide

Check the batteries in your monoxide detector

Move your pillow closer to the window where the plant she called "ours" still resides, giving breathing a purpose again

Fall asleep wondering if your snoring bothers your dog like it did her

Wake up to your dog snoring louder than you

Consider buying a C-PAP, without knowing who it's better suited for

Catch yourself relating the C-PAP to the band-aid you're placing over your heart, since all it really does is help you pretend that your breathing isn't a problem

Question if breathing is a problem

Google encouraging posters with puppies on them

Find yourself on her instagram again at 3 am, a faux-down comforter the coldest place in a while outside of your own mind

Chuckle at the time you did an instagram series of her stuffing her face

Wonder what your next step should be

Ask yourself if everything is going be okay

Convince yourself everything is going to be okay, while goosebumps cover your chest

Fall back asleep, slowly, dreaming about whether or not you should change your computer wallpaper at work

Discover in your deepest sleep, that breathing shouldn't be difficult. It should be something we don't notice, but remind ourselves of from time to time, whether it's heavy laughter or heavy hearted deep breathes, hitting speed bumps on its way in

You're going to be okay

Exhale